Erza's Master Plan
by Andril
Summary: Erza has a plan to finally get Jellal to man up. But, when she requests a certain pink haired dragon slayers help, she gets a little more than she bargained for. I do not own Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter 1

All was normal in the guild hall. Well, as normal as Fairy Tail could be. The rambunctious mages were in the act of practically destroying the guild, as usual. Gray and Natsu had started brawling five minutes after walking in, and had eventually dragged most of the guild in with them. Erza wasn't there to put a stop to it so it went on for most of the day. Lucy sat at the bar with Levy, Mirajane, and Lisanna and presently asked, "Where is Erza? At this rate the guys are going to tear down the entire building."

Mirajane smiled blissfully as she wiped down a mug behind the bar, "You know how she gets when she hears that Jellal is going to be in town. She's probably stressing over what crazy outfit to wear when he finally gets here."

Lucy smiled, "I forgot he was coming into town soon. You're right, we probably won't be seeing her for a while then."

All of them jumped and were slightly surprised when the doors to the guild slammed open. Erza walked in wearing her normal blue skirt and Heart-Kreuz armor and her demonic voice rang out, "Natsu… Gray… I know that you two aren't fighting."

The entire guild was frozen, most of them in abject fear of the red headed woman. The two culprits, Natsu and Gray, were in the process of punching each other in the face and had stopped with their fists only inches from the other, eyes wide and trained on Erza. The woman growled and said, "I see, so you have been fighting. It is time to deal out punishment!"

The next ten minutes were a scene that the entire guild had seen before, Erza beating Natsu and Gray into a state of near unconsciousness. When she was done she grabbed the both of them by their collars (Gray by the back of his neck because all he was wearing were his boxers), and growled, "Have I made my point clear?"

They both nodded and did their best Happy impressions, "A-aye!"

She nodded and said, "Good."

Erza dropped Gray back on the floor but kept hold of Natsu saying, "I need to talk to you Natsu, come with me."

This wasn't an unusual request seeing as how they were on the same team and the guild didn't pay it too much attention. They were too busy laughing at the fact that Natsu was being dragged out by his scarf by the red headed woman.

The girls at the bar all went back to talking with Lucy saying, "I wonder why she was here, and not even in some crazy costume."

Levy replied, "Well. Maybe she finally gave up on Jellal and decided that she needed to move on. I mean, they've been doing the same dance for so long now. He'll show up, they'll be really awkward around each other for a few days, and then he'll leave again. A woman needs a bit more than that from a man."

Mirajane grinned at the small blue haired woman, "So what is it that you're getting from Gajeel that keeps you going back."

Levy blushed, "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

Lucy ignored her friend's embarrassment and instead wondered aloud, "I wonder who she would move on with, I mean, it would take some type of crazy guy to put up with Erza. Every guy in the guild except Laxus is scared of her."

All the girls sat in silence pondering for a moment before they all noticed a demonic glint in Mirajane's eyes. She said gleefully, "The possibilities are endless. I'm going to have so much fun with this."

All three of the other girls began to look nervous as Mirajane started rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

* * *

><p>Natsu could feel every cobblestone in Magnolia's street as Erza dragged him through the town and up to Fairy Hills. He didn't complain though, as he was fearful of extra punishment from Erza. The woman dragged him into the dorm and up to her room before throwing him down on her bed. She stood in the center of the room and said calmly, "I need your help with something Natsu."<p>

The Fire Dragon Slayer was mildly stunned to say the least and cautiously said, "What do you need help with?"

A slight blush rose in her cheeks and she said, "It's a personal matter. Will you help me or not?"

Natsu was still slightly cautious and said, "I don't kno…"

He was interrupted by a sword at his throat and a glare from Erza and then hurriedly said, "A-aye! I'll help!"

The sword disappeared and a smile appeared on Erza's face. She said, "Good. Now, I need you to take me out on a date."

Natsu's jaw hit the floor, "Wh… Wha… What?"

Erza blushed and said with evident frustration, "Not an actual date. It just needs to look like one. I've been trying for so long to get Jellal to actually notice me! If I can make him jealous maybe he'll finally ask me out."

Natsu scratched his head and said, "I don't know… Why can't you just ask him?"

The red head groaned and said, "Because it is the man's job to ask the woman. Besides, if Jellal can't get over his own issues, for which we have already all forgiven him, then it would never work between us."

Natsu kept scratched his head, "But Erza… You just asked me on a date…"

A gauntleted hand came flying in and smacked him, "You idiot! It's not a real date! I just need you to pretend so that when Jellal sees me with you he will become so jealous that he jumps in to stop the date and fights you to the death for my love."

Natsu could see the stars in Erza's eyes as she said this and knew that she was serious, that was a look reserved for strawberry cake."

He said quickly, "So, if I do this, I get to fight Jellal again?"

Erza nodded, "If all goes according to my plan, yes."

Natsu jumped off the bed and pumped his fist into the air, "Alright! I'm all fired up! I'll make this the best date ever, and then smack down Jellal!"

Erza was about to hit him again but thought better of it, lowering her hand and saying, "Very well. Jellal gets here sometime early tomorrow afternoon, so you will pick me up from the guild at seven. Now, go and plan our date, I expect dinner and then an activity afterwards, preferably one that will give Jellal a chance to show up and fight for my love."

Natsu nodded and ran out of Fairy Hills and all the way home. He was excited at the chance to have another fight with the incredibly powerful former Wizard Saint. He burst into his house and the next thirty minutes was spent trying to plan his and Erza's date. The only problem being that he had no experience in this and was completely clueless as to what people did on dates. Suddenly a brilliant idea struck him, 'Mirajane knows everything about dates and romance. I'll just go ask her tomorrow and she can help.'

With that in mind he sauntered into the kitchen to cook dinner for himself, Happy had decided to stay with Lisanna. After a supper of rice and multiple fried fish he lay down in his hammock and soon was snoring softly, dreaming of fish, fighting, and Erza.

The next morning Natsu opened his eyes slowly. When he remembered what today would be though, his eyes popped wide open and he jumped out of his hammock. He pumped a fist and shouted to his empty little house, "Alright! Today I take Erza on the best date ever!"

He rushed around getting ready for the day and then ran most of the way to the guild. He burst in and was about to make his way to the bar to talk to Mirajane when Lucy waylaid him. She said, "My rent is due soon, let's take a mission."

Natsu cheerfully said, "Can't today. I have a date!"

Natsu walked past Lucy, whose jaw was on the ground and looked to be in a catatonic state of shock. He walked up to Mirajane and said, "Hey Mira, I need some help."

The white heart woman smiled at him, "What do you need Natsu?"

Color rose in his cheeks as he said, "Well, it's kind of embarrassing, can we talk in private?"

Mirajane's eyebrows rose and she said, "Sure Natsu, I'll get Lisanna to cover for a while and then we can talk in the basement."

Natsu grinned and said, "Thanks! I'll be waiting there!"

He ran down to the basement and a minute later Mirajane joined him. She put her hands on her hips and then said, "So, what is this embarrassing problem you have?"

Natsu grinned, "I have a date tonight, but I have absolutely no idea what to do on a date. So I need some help."

Mirajane squealed and tackled Natsu in a hug, "Who's the girl! Tell me!"

Natsu pried himself from her grasp and said, "You'll see tonight, we're meeting at the guild. I just need some help, please?"

The white haired woman grinned and said, "Of course I'll help. Now, the first thing you have to think about is dinner. Are you going to take her to a fancy restaurant, or someplace casual?"

Natsu looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged, "I don't know, I know I just want to make it the best date ever."

Mirajane smiled sagely and then said, "Well then, definitely a fancy restaurant. That means to dress to impress. Do you have anything like a suit?"

Natsu looked down at his vest and loose trousers before saying, "What's wrong with the clothes I have?"

Mirajane sighed, "If you're going to a fancy restaurant, you need a suit and tie."

This drew a matching sigh from Natsu, "I don't have one though."

The girl brightened immediately, "That's okay. I'll just take you shopping. Come on!"

She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the basement and back up to the guild proper. It was morning so there weren't that many people there, but the ones there did laugh when they saw Natsu get dragged out by another of the guild women that had a scary reputation. They blew right past Lucy who was still in the same position Natsu had left her in, with the same catatonic look of shock on her face.

Mirajane dragged Natsu into a clothing store and then began picking out a myriad of suits for him to try on. Natsu could only stand by helplessly as she played dress up, using him as a human sized doll. Eventually though she decided on a plain black suit, crisp white shirt, and a tie that coincidentally was the color of Erza's hair. The significance of this was lost on Mirajane, but not on Natsu as he thought, 'I bet she'll like that.'

After he purchased the suit for an obscene amount of jewels, Mirajane took him around town looking for a restaurant. Natsu had veto power, but they finally settled on a restaurant called The Fading Rose. It was fancy enough for Mirajanes standards, but also was a place where Natsu could get a large, well-cooked steak, which was really the only reason he agreed to it.

Natsu looked up into the sky to see that the sun was starting to get low in the sky and shouted, "Damn! I've got to get home and get ready! Thanks for all your help Mira!"

He was about to dash off when the woman grabbed his wrist and said, "One last thing. You have to get flowers. If everything else you do is a failure, the flowers will definitely help, and if you think the date has gone well flowers won't hurt either. When you walk her back to her house, if the date went well, you definitely go in for a good night kiss."

Natsu nodded and then ran off home to get dressed, leaving Mirajane behind. The good natured woman stood in the middle of the street with a bemused look on her face thinking, 'This is possibly the weirdest day ever. Natsu has a date. Maybe this will light a fire under the other guys in the guild and I'll see more dates from more people.'

With this happy thought and stars in her eyes, Mirajane walked back to the guild and resumed her bar tending duties. The guild was much busier than when she'd left, it being much later in the day and the majority of the guild was now there. Lucy was sitting at the bar having left her post near the door at some point and Mirajane asked her brightly, "So what was wrong with you today?"

Lucy looked up at her, "I asked Natsu to go on a job and he said no, because he had a date."

Mirajane smiled dreamily, "I know, I spent all day helping him get ready for it."

The blonde looked shocked, "Really? He was being serious? Who is going on a date with Natsu?"

Mirajane smiled and shrugged, "He wouldn't tell me. But apparently he's coming by the guild to pick her up, so I think it's someone in the guild."

Lucy looked around the guild and then said, "Well, the only one here dressed up to go out is Erza, but that's only because Jellal is here and she's trying to get him to actually ask her out."

The woman in question was sitting with Gray, Juvia, Meredy, and Jellal near the entrance to the guild. Erza was dressed in a stunning purple dress with a pattern of roses on it, a low neckline, and a slit up to mid-thigh. Her hair was in an elegant bun and she had white elbow length gloves on.

Lucy said to Mirajane, "She only breaks that dress out for special occasions; she must really be trying hard for Jellal. I swear, that guy is so self-absorbed. I have half a mind to go over there and give him a piece of my mind. Erza's been in love with him forever, even after all the horrible things he did. She's already forgiven him, and so has everybody else, so he needs to get over it and man up."

Mirajane said, "You should. With Natsu having a date, maybe there's some type of romance magic going on and it'll be just the push he needs."

Lucy giggled, "You're right, it must be some kind of magic. That's the only way Natsu could get a date. You know what, I am going to go over there and have a little talk with Jellal."

She went to stand up but was interrupted when the doors flew open and Natsu walked in. Lucy looked at him wide eyed and muttered to Mirajane, "Oh my god, how did you get Natsu to look that good?"

The suit that he'd bought earlier fit Natsu perfectly, and the red of his tie looked striking with the dark suit. His scarf was settled around his shoulders in the usual way, generally an odd object to pair with a suit. Lucy said quietly, "He's even making the scarf look good with that suit. Mira, next time I have a date, you get to dress my guy."

Mirajane only giggled and said, "Shush, let's find out who he's here for."

Natsu walked over to the table where half of his team sat and said cheerfully, "Alright Erza, ready for our date?"

There was a rush of air as the entire guild rubbernecked to look at Natsu and say, "Whaaat?!"

Mirajane and Lucy were both slackjawed at the bar, neither of them having the coherence to even make a comment. Erza stood up and said with a smile, "Of course, let's go."

Natsu held out a hand and she took it and they began to walk towards the door. When they got to the doorway Natsu paused and began unraveling the scarf from his neck, "It's pretty cold outside; you might want this to keep you warm."

He wrapped the scarf around the red headed woman's neck and then smiled, "You look great Erza."

She blushed and smiled at him, "Thank you Natsu. Now shall we go?"

They both turned and left, closing the guild doors behind them. Nobody moved in the guild before Gray shouted, "What the hell is going on?"

Then all hell broke loose as the members tried to decipher what they'd just seen. Mirajane was still staring at the door and furiously wiping down a mug when she said to Lucy, "I have no idea what just happened, but poor Jellal. Just look at the guy."

Lucy looked over and could see the shell-shocked expression still on Jellal's face. Meredy was whispering too him quietly and he was only shaking his head. A moment later though he stood up, mostly unnoticed due to the commotion, and quietly slipped out. Lucy turned back to Mirajane and said, "I really hope he's not going to go ruin their date. Wait, what am I saying? Jellal and Erza are perfect for each other, so why the hell is she on a date with Natsu? I'm so confused."

Mirajane only shrugged and smiled, "Well, whatever is happening, romance is in the air and I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts."

She then stiffened and slowly turned to look at Lucy, "I told him to give her a goodnight kiss. I'm so sorry Lucy, but you're going to be unable to work for a few days."

Lucy replied, "What do you mean I won't be able to work? Because of a goodnight kiss… oh."

She imagined Natsu trying to kiss the terrifying woman and groaned, "Good thing I have enough money for rent this month."

* * *

><p>Natsu and Erza walked along down the streets of Magnolia, drawing eyes and whispers. Erza looked over at Natsu, "I didn't realize you had a suit like that, it suits you very well."<p>

Natsu grinned, "I didn't. I had to go to Mira to get advice and she helped me pick it out."

Erza quickly growled, "Natsu, did you tell her the plan?"

He waved his arms defensively, "No! I didn't! I just needed some advice because really, I have no idea what to do on a date."

Erza nodded and then smiled at him, "Well, good then. I'm glad you're taking this seriously. Where I we going? If Mirajane planned this date and you're this dressed up I know that I won't be overdressed, but I'm curious."

Natsu grinned, "We're going to a place called The Fading Rose."

The red head let out a small surprised sound, "That's my favorite place that isn't a bakery, Natsu, how did you know?"

Natsu winked at her, "I'm just that good."

She lightly hit him on the head, "It was a lucky coincidence wasn't it?"

He nodded bashfully, "Yeah, it was."

They had just reached the restaurant then and Erza stopped out front to pull Natsu in for a hug. She said, "Well it's very nice anyways, thank you Natsu."

She didn't get a response because Natsu's head was buried in her very ample cleavage. Generally when she pulled someone in for a hug their head just banged off of her armor. Since she was wearing that dress however, she had pulled Natsu's head right between her breasts. She quickly let him go and his head popped up, eyes wide. He said quickly, "Please don't kill me! It wasn't my fault, I swear!"

Erza's face was as red as her hair as she said, "It's alright, it was my fault. I hope Jellal didn't see that though. Come on; let's just go into the restaurant."

They went in and were immediately seated. Natsu was a perfect gentleman, holding the door and pulling out her chair for her. She commented on it and he replied, "I know how to act like a gentleman. I've read so many of Lucy's stories and a lot of them have the perfect gentleman in them, so I can definitely fake it. The only problem is, she never gets to the actual date part of the date so I was pretty lost when it came to that."

They had a spectacular dinner. They were already close friends and so the normal awkwardness that accompanied a first date wasn't there. Natsu and Erza were just their normal selves with each other and had a wonderful time reminiscing and talking about the guild, or really anything that crossed their minds. At one point during the dinner Natsu stiffened and said quickly, "Don't look now but Jellal is at the corner table, he's spying on us."

Erza remained calm, eating a bite of her meal before saying, "Good, my plan is working. Hopefully after this he'll make his move."

Natsu grimaced, "I hope not. I put a lot of thought into the last part of the night and I want it to go off without a hitch."

Erza sighed, "Natsu, remember, this isn't a real date. We're just trying to get Jellal to make a move."

Natsu groaned, "Aww, cmon Erza. I know that. I just want you to have a good time, even if it isn't really a date."

She smiled at him, "Thank you Natsu for being so thoughtful."

They continued, each just enjoying the others company. Natsu paid and as they were walking out the door he said suddenly, "Whoops, I forgot something, I'll be right back."

He went back in and Erza stood outside in the cold, although it didn't bother her unduly. A few moments later he came out with a small package in his hands. Erza looked at him questioningly but he just smiled at her and shook his head. He took her hand, started walking, and said, "Come on."

She asked, "Where are we going?"

The Dragon Slayer smiled mysteriously, "You'll see."

Erza nearly growled, "Natsu, tell me."

He shook his head and said, "Nope, you'll like it though."

Erza was tempted to requip a sword and threaten him with it but decided not to, knowing that it would probably give the game away. She instead said, "Very well, lead the way."

He did, leading her out of Magnolia and into the woods where his house was. On the way she whispered to him, "Is Jellal following us?"

Natsu surreptitiously sniffed the air and said, "I'm not sure, I'll wait until we get where we're going and then check again."

She nodded and followed him quietly until they started getting into thicker woods. She said, "Couldn't you have picked something in the city? I like this dress very much and I don't want it to get ruined by a trek in the dark through the woods."

Natsu grinned, "Nope. The city is no fun. In the woods there are no other people to be a distraction. The woods are perfect for a date if you ask me. It's the most natural, beautiful place in the world."

Erza smiled fondly at him, "It will be a lucky girl that wins your heart Natsu."

He smiled back, "You really think so?"

She said, "Of course. You're a warm, kind, and loyal man. Not to mention you do that suit great justice."

Natsu grinned and then pulled her into a large clearing and said, "We're here."

He pulled her to the middle of the clearing and she saw that there was a blanket spread out over the ground. He sat down on it and pulled her down with him. He lay back and she did the same before he said, "Let your eyes adjust, and you can see the stars. I've found this is definitely one of the best places to just relax and stare up at them."

She did, staring up at the sky and letting her eyes adjust from the bright lights of the city. Little dots of light began to appear in the sky, until it seemed almost covered in them. Erza smiled, "This is beautiful Natsu."

She couldn't see the smile that graced Natsu's face. He sat up and handed the small package to her that he'd gotten at the restaurant. She gave him a quizzical look before opening it. Erza was delighted to find a small piece of strawberry cake wrapped up in the little box. She said excitedly, "Thank you Natsu!"

He grinned and said, "Go on, eat it, it's for you."

She was about to dig in with the small fork she'd also found but then stopped and said, "Well. Just this once, since you're being very sweet, I'll share with you."

Natsu grinned and said, "Nah, I got it for you. You eat it, and I'll be right back."

He hopped up and then ran off into the woods, leaving Erza by herself. She sat up and looked around thinking, 'What is he doing now? Maybe he went off to find Jellal.'

She was swiftly distracted from these though by the cake though, and soon there was nothing left, save a tiny bit of frosting forgotten on the corner of her mouth.

She sat for five minutes, then ten, then fifteen, just looking up at the stars. Erza was getting a bit worried though and she sat up looking around for Natsu. She could see a tiny flame moving around in the woods and knew that it was him, but couldn't figure out what he was doing. She followed it with her eyes until it suddenly blinked out. A few moments later he made his way back into the clearing carrying something in his hand. He got back to the blanket and sat down next to her whispering into her ear, "Jellal is out there somewhere but I can't tell where."

Erza whispered back, "If he's going to make his move this is the best place for it."

Natsu nodded and then smiled at her, "That's one of the reasons I picked this place, it's got everything you need for a romantic date, or a full on fight."

She laughed, "I'm surprised you took the time to consider that."

Natsu shrugged, "Well I didn't want to destroy half of Magnolia in a fight with Jellal. You'd kill me, and then maybe Jellal."

The red headed woman nodded sagely, "Very true. However, since you're helping me in this, I'll give you a pass next time you get in a fight with Gray."

Natsu grinned and cracked his knuckle, "Alright, I'm all fired up!"

Erza laughed again and lay back down, a moment later Natsu did the same. They stayed there in companionable silence for a while, both waiting, when Natsu suddenly spoke up, "Hey Erza."

The red headed woman had started to get sleepy and so she murmured, "Yeah Natsu?"

"I see some stars in the shape of a fish. Do you think if Happy flew me up there we could catch it and eat it?"

She burst out laughing and sat up. She looked down fondly at the dragon slayer who wore a confused look, "Probably not Natsu, don't worry though, if you want I'll buy you the biggest fish we can find at the market sometime."

Natsu sat up as well and grinned at her, "Alright. I'll remember that!"

Erza looked around and then sighed, "It's getting really late, we should probably head back."

Natsu sat up as well and sniffed the air again, "He's still out there somewhere, the wind is carrying his scent in our direction. Are you sure you don't want to wait a bit longer?"

She nodded, "Yes, he's obviously not going to do anything. Come on Natsu, let's just go back."

She stood up and Natsu did with her and they left the clearing. Natsu led her through the forest and back into to town. She could see him scenting the air occasionally as they walked, and knew that he was still looking for Jellal. She sighed as they walked and thought, 'Another plan down the drain. At this rate nothing will ever happen.'

They walked to Fairy Hills and stood in front of the doorway. Erza looked at Natsu and smiled at him, "Even though it didn't work, thank you for trying, I really did have a wonderful time."

The pink haired boy grinned, "I know it didn't work how you wanted but here, this should make you feel better."

He brought up the object he'd been holding in his hands the entire time but she'd been too preoccupied to notice. It was a small bouquet of wild flowers, tied together with a red ribbon around the stems. He grinned, "That's what I was doing after I gave you the cake. I didn't have time to go get a real bouquet, so I figured I'd just make one."

She slowly took the bouquet of flowers out of his hand and then stared at if for a few seconds. Natsu started to get nervous when she didn't respond and said, "If you don't like it, I'm sure I can run down to the market and get some better ones."

Erza smiled at him, "I love it Natsu. It does make me feel better."

He grinned at her, "Good."

She was extremely surprised then, when he stepped in, put both hands around her waist, and pulled her in for a kiss. His lips were soft against hers for a moment, and warm, sending a tingling sensation down her spine. He broke away from the kiss and stepped back. He wasn't smiling at her or grinning and actually looked a bit unhappy. Erza said, "Was it that bad?"

Natsu looked at her confusedly, "What?"

"The kiss. You don't look happy at all."

Natsu shook his head and grinned at her, "No the kiss was great. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I didn't think you'd send me flying across Magnolia. I'm just really surprised Jellal didn't come try and knock my head off after that."

Erza sighed, "I'm surprised too. I thought for sure this plan would work."

Natsu could see the unhappiness written on her face and stepped closer , throwing an arm around her shoulders, "Well, look on the bright side, you had a great meal, a nice time star gazing, and now you have some flowers. The night wasn't a complete waste."

She sighed again, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up Natsu. I just don't think it's going to work right now."

Natsu grinned at her, "You want me to beat up Jellal? I've done it once; I bet I can do it again."

Erza did laugh this time, "Thanks for the offer Natsu, but no, I don't want you to beat him up. I'm glad you're always here to cheer me up though."

He gave her shoulder a squeeze and then let go, stepping back, "Anytime Erza."

He began walking away and waved goodbye over his shoulder as he called, "I had a great night. Let's do it again sometime!"

Erza blushed and almost threw a sword at him, but decided against it. Instead she just shook her head and smiled thinking, 'I don't know what goes on in his head. I can't tell if he is actually flirting with me or not.'

She walked into Fairy Hills and all was quiet in the dorm. Erza made her way up to her room and walked into her bedroom, requipping into blue pajamas. She found a small vase and put the flowers and a small bit of water in it before setting it on her nightstand. Looking down on it she smiled and murmured, "He really is a great guy."

She lay down and pulled the covers over her head, finding the comfiest spot in her pillow to sleep in. She let sleep overtake her, counting swords as most others would count sheep. Her last thoughts before it did were, 'Maybe Jellal doesn't want me. He's never there for me… but Natsu is.'


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Natsu was woken up by a flying blue cat hitting him in the head. He was so surprised that he fell out of his hammock, but instead of his face slamming into the floor it hit something soft instead. He was mildly confused until he heard Happy moan, "Natsuuu, your head is so big."

He opened his eyes to find them filled with blue fur. He quickly rolled over and stood up, looking over to see Happy lying on the floor of his little shack, looking slightly squished. Natsu laughed and said, "That's what you get for waking me up Happy."

The blue cat groaned, "But I just wanted to talk to you."

Natsu looked at him quizzically, "About what?"

The blue cat popped up and took flight, gliding through the air and then landing on top of Natsu's head. He said, "Lisanna said you went on a date with Erza last night. Lucy's weirdness must be rubbing off on you."

Natsu laughed, "Oh that? It wasn't a real date. Erza came up with a super-secret plan to get Jellal to finally ask her out, but it didn't work."

Happy didn't understand so Natsu had to explain, "Well. Erza and Jellal love each other, but Jellal isn't asking her out. So, Erza got me to take her on a date that was supposed to make Jellal super jealous."

The blue cat said, "Why would you do that? What's in it for you?"

Natsu grinned and punched one of his fists into his open palm, "I was all fired up because if the plan worked I'd get to fight Jellal."

He sighed and then dropped his arms, hanging his head slightly, "But it didn't work. Jellal was watching but he never did anything. I guess the date wasn't enough to make him jealous."

Happy sprouted wings and dropped down to hover in front of Natsu's face and nodded sagely, "That's probably true, you don't know the first thing about dating."

Natsu waved his arms and said, "But I even went to ask Mira about it, and she helped me! We spent all day yesterday shopping for clothes to wear and then picking a restaurant. I thought it was a really good date!"

Happy grinned, "Well. Why don't you go tell Mira how the date went, and let her decide if it was a really good date?"

Natsu looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Happy! That's a great idea. You're a genius! Come on let's go!"

The pink haired man excitedly ran out of his shack, followed by Happy and his shout of, "Aye sir!"

Both of them went as fast as they could towards the guild and Natsu burst in shouting, "Hey everybody!"

The entire guild only stared at him in awe and then whispers broke out.

"He's not dead? What happened?"

"Natsu is a real man! Erza didn't kill him!"

The dragon slayer ignored it all and went up to the bar where Mirajane was wiping down mugs, which she seemed to do a lot of. He sat down and the white haired woman gave him a motherly smile, "So, how did it go last night? You're still alive which is a good sign."

Natsu grinned and said, "I had a lot of fun, but I'm not sure how well it actually went. Happy had the genius idea to come down here and tell you about it so you could judge."

He was hardly surprised when Mirajane eagerly agreed and so he told her everything about his date, from the time they left the guild to the goodnight kiss. He didn't however, mention Jellal or the plan in the slightest. When he was done Mirajane said dreamily, "That sounds great Natsu, you can take me on a date anytime."

The Dragon Slayer grinned and rubbed his head in mild embarrassment, "Ahhh, maybe Mira."

The white haired woman was about to say something when Lucy and Gray walked into the guild. Both of them spotted Natsu and practically ran to the bar. Lucy slid onto the seat next to him but Gray smacked his palms down on the bar and said, "Alright Natsu. What was that all about last night?"

Natsu shrugged, "I took Erza on a date. You got a problem ice princess?"

Gray shook his head, "I don't, but… how the hell did you get her to go on a date with you?"

Natsu glanced over at him and said, "Put on some damn clothes and I might tell you."

The raven haired man looked down at himself to find that he was wearing nothing but boxers and ran off to find his missing clothes with a shout of, "Why does this always happen to me?"

He turned back to the bar and then Lucy started asking questions, "Really though Natsu, how did you get Erza to go on a date with you. I thought she was in love with Jellal."

Natsu grinned, "She asked me."

He looked around to see that nobody was near the bar except Lucy and Mirajane so he lowered his voice to a whisper, "It wasn't a real date though. Erza came up with a plan to make Jellal jealous so we went out on a date. He was supposed to show up and fight me to win her love but he never did. I thought the date wasn't enough to make him jealous but according to Mira it was a good one."

Both of the women stared at him slack-jawed and then Mirajane said, "But Natsu! I was so excited that you had a date, and now you tell me it isn't real!"

Natsu shrugged, "What? Erza needed my help with something so I was helping her."

Gray had come back into the room and yelled across the crowded hall before Mirajane could say anything else, "Alright ash-for-brains. You better tell me how you got a date with Erza."

Mirajane watched as Natsu got down from his stool and walked towards Gray while cracking his knuckles and saying, "How about this Ice Princess. If you beat me in a fight, then I might tell you."

Gray yelled back, "Bring it flame brain."

Mirajane just sighed as they began to brawl in the middle of the guild. She got another mug to clean and was about to walk away when Lucy said to her, "So, if what Natsu said is true and that the entire date was a scheme to get Jellal to finally admit his feelings for Erza, and you say that the date was good, then how come it didn't work?"

The white haired woman pondered it, "I don't know, maybe Jellal doesn't actually like Erza."

Lucy shook her head, "There's no way, those two have been dancing around each other for a long time now. I wonder where Erza is anyways."

Mirajane shrugged, "I don't know, but it's not like her to wait this long to come to the guild when she's in town."

She then muttered, "Speak of the devil." The doors had burst open and the red headed woman they'd been talking about marched into the guild. She glanced at the brawl going on in the center of the guild and barked, "Natsu! Gray!"

Both of them instantly stopped brawling. Then Mirajane nearly dropped the mug she was cleaning as Erza winked at Natsu and he shouted, "Alright!"

Before Gray knew what was happening he'd been punched through a wall and out of the guild. Mirajane watched as Erza chuckled and then made her way over to the bar. The red head said, "Mira, strawberry cake please."

The white haired woman got her cake and then said, "Alright Erza, spill it. Natsu told us everything."

Erza looked at her in surprise and then growled, turning and yelling, "Natsu! Get over here!"

The Dragon Slayer raced over and stood at complete attention before Erza, "Aye!"

The red head said, "Why did you tell Mira about the plan?"

Natsu relaxed and said, "Well, I wanted her opinion on the date. I was worried it wasn't good enough to make Jellal jealous but according to her it was. I just didn't want you to be down because I messed the plan up."

Erza thought about it for a second and then said, "Very well. I shall not punish you this time."

Natsu breathed a sigh of relief and then walked off the go find Happy. Mirajane looked at Erza and then sighed, "There was finally romance in the guild, but now I know it's a lie."

Erza looked around suspiciously for a moment and then said quietly to the white haired barmaid, "Well. I don't know. The whole point of the plan was to make Jellal admit his feelings for me, but it didn't work. But I saw a whole new side of Natsu last night. He's always been kind and warm, but I didn't know he could actually be romantic."

Mirajane looked at her with a sly smile, "So, do you have a little crush on Natsu now?"

Erza blushed and said, "I don't know. There's Jellal, but he's never here and I'm starting to wonder if he truly has feelings for me, he's never done anything about them. Then there's Natsu, who's one of my best friends. He's always there for me, hell, he's saved my life numerous times, one of them even from Jellal!"

Mirajane smiled happily and said, "Yep, you have a crush on Natsu."

Erza gave her a dangerous look and said, "Don't go making assumptions demon."

The white haired woman gave another sly smile, "Well then tell me, how was the goodnight kiss?"

Erza's face turned the same shade as her scarlet hair as she stammered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

The demon was coming out in Mirajane as she pressed on, "I told Natsu to give his date a good night kiss if the date went well, and he said it did, so how was the kiss?"

Erza mumbled something under her breath. Mirajane leaned forward and said tauntingly, "What's that? I didn't hear you."

The Knight glared at the Demon and said, "I liked it damnit!"

Mirajane blissfully started cleaning her mug again, "So, you have a crush on Natsu."

Erza looked over at Natsu who was talking animatedly with Happy and Lucy over at a table, "Yes, I do. But, it's Natsu, I'm not sure he feels that way about me."

Mirajane sighed, "Erza, you're doing it again. This is what's happening with Jellal. You have to make a move or nothing will ever happen."

Erza asked, "So, you're saying I should make a move on Jellal?"

Mirajane shrugged, "Natsu or Jellal, just make a move. Natsu is too dense to realize that you like him, and even if he liked you back he's probably too dense to figure it out. I know that Jellal has feelings for you, but he'll never act on them because of his issues. You just have to pick one and go for it."

The red head looked at her, "But which one should I pick?"

The white haired woman smiled, "Well, that's up to you, but if you don't pick Natsu I want him, he may be dense but from the sound of things he can be very romantic. Plus, did you get a look at him in the suit? Yum."

Mirajane wasn't surprised at the sword that was now in Erza's hands and pointed at her, "No, he's mine!"

After Erza's outburst, she suddenly realized that the entire guild had gone silent. She looked around and saw that the entirety of the guild was staring at her, and then she realized she'd yelled at Mirajane at the top of her lungs. She yelled at the guild now, "Is there a problem?"

After many hurried no's, Erza turned back to Mirajane and growled softly, "You're a demon."

The barmaid only smiled happily, "I know. But now you know which one to pick."

A small smile appeared on Erza's face as she said, "I guess. But how?"

"Ask him."

Erza groaned, "I can't just ask him. If he had feelings for me he would ask me."

She was surprised when Mirajane threw a mug at her head. She caught it and then sputtered, "What the hell!"

Mirajane practically growled at her, "Doing nothing has gotten you nowhere. You're a blunt person. Go be blunt to Natsu. If you don't I'm taking him for myself."

Erza stood up abruptly and said, "Fine! I'll do it! Damn demon."

She stomped up behind Natsu at the table he was sitting at with Lucy, Happy, and the newly returned Gray. She grabbed him by the back of the scarf and yanked him out of his seat before dragging him out of the guild. To most of the guild, this was nothing new, although Lucy gave Mirajane a quizzical look since she was in the know. All she got was a serene smile.

* * *

><p>For the second time in three days, Natsu was dragged by his scarf through Magnolia, into Fairy Hills, and flung on Erza's bed. This time though he wasn't terrified out of his mind and he calmly asked, "What's up? Need some more help?"<p>

He was confused as Erza didn't answer him, but began pacing in her bedroom. She stopped and took a breath to say something, then angrily shook her head and continued to pace. She did this a few more times before Natsu said, "Umm. Erza? Are you okay?"

She shouted at him, "No I am not! I'm extremely frustrated!"

Natsu hopped off the bed and said, "About what?"

She stopped pacing and sighed, "Men, Natsu. I'm frustrated with men."

The Fire Dragon Slayer nodded sagely, "Ahhh, you want my advice on men. Well I must tell you tha…"

He was interrupted by a gauntleted fist slamming into his face, "That's not it Natsu."

Natsu rubbed his face and said, "Well then what?"

Erza sat down on her bed and sighed, "I think I like someone, but I'm not sure if they like me back."

He sat down next to her and said, "It's Jellal right? I know that he definitely has a thing for you. So what if one plan didn't work. I'm sure you'll get him with the next one."

Erza shook her head, "No, it isn't Jellal."

Natsu stroked his chin in thought, "Well… then I'm stumped."

The red head laughed, "Really Natsu? You can't think of anyone else I might like?"

He shrugged, "Is it Gray? 'Cause if it is Juvia might drown you."

Erza shook her head again, "No, it isn't Gray."

Natsu just started listing names, "Jet? Droy? Max? Laxus? Don't tell me it's that metal head Gajeel!"

Erza growled and then smacked him on the head, "It's you! You moron!"

Natsu paused for a moment and then said quite calmly, "Really?"

Erza nodded while color rose in her cheeks, "Yes. I realized last night that Jellal was never going to be around. But, you're always there for me. You've been with me through thick and thin and you've saved my life over and over again. You're warm and kind and loyal and do everything you can to protect those important to you. I said it was a lucky girl that would win your heart, and I meant it."

The Fire Dragon listened to her and then let out a deep breath, before jumping off the bed and pumping his fist into the air shouting, "Alright it worked!"

Erza was confused, "What worked Natsu?"

He ignored her and started dancing around the room talking to himself, "Wait until I tell Happy, he'll never believe it worked. Hah! Serves him right for not believ…"

He was cut off by multiple swords pinning him to the wall and Erza holding one to his throat as she growled, "Do not mess with me. What worked?"

He merely grinned, undaunted by the sword at his throat or the threat in her voice, "My master plan!"

She looked at him quizzically and asked, "What master plan?"

"The master plan to win your heart of course! I've liked you ever since that whole thing with the Tower of Heaven and so after that I put together a master plan. Happy laughed at me and told me it would never work, but it did! Hah! Now who has fish for brains Happy! That's right! You do!"

While Natsu had been yelling gleefully at the not present Happy, Erza had dropped the sword and sat back down on the bed talking to herself, "Ever since the Tower of Heaven? How could I not have noticed?"

Natsu was still grinning from where he was suspended on the wall, "Well, I didn't let you notice, I was super stealthy. Plus you were so sad because of Jellal, there was no way you would notice. I told you I never wanted to see your tears ever again, and I meant it. You're the person I want to be happy most of all in the world."

She smiled at him and said, "So what was your master plan?"

"Wait."

"Wait?"

"Yep. Wait."

She burst out, "What the hell does that even mean?"

He became serious then, as serious as someone hanging suspended from a wall by the swords of the person he was confessing his love to could be, "Well, yeah. You were always so caught up in Jellal that you'd never see anybody else. I had to wait for you to see that Jellal wasn't the one for you, and then I'd have my chance. Of course, my plan has been looking pretty grim lately. Every time Jellal comes into town it seems that you two get a little closer together, and now this time you actually asked me to help you get him."

Erza stood straight up and whispered in a shocked tone, "You've liked me for all this time, but you were still going to help?"

Natsu nodded, "I want you to be happy Erza, and if getting Jellal was going to make you happy, then I was going to try my hardest to make it happen."

All the swords disappeared in a flash of light and Natsu began flailing as he overbalanced and started falling forwards, but instead of his face hitting the floor, he was wrapped up in a hug by Erza. She whispered in his ear, "I wish you would have told me sooner."

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair before saying quietly, "No way. If I told you would have outright rejected me, or you would have accepted me, but always had lingering feelings for Jellal. I had to wait until you came to the conclusion yourself that Jellal would never be around and could never be there for you."

She leaned back and put both hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eyes, "That's a very intelligent rationale Natsu; I'm surprised you were able to come up with something like that."

Natsu let out a laugh, "Hah, it took me a while. I never really figured it out until we fought Oracion Seis. After the fight when Lahar came to arrest Jellal, you just looked so sad. I tried to fight for Jellal but you told me not to and so I didn't. After he was gone, I could tell that you weren't over him and that you weren't going to get over him anytime soon. So I just decided to wait. Wait until you were ready to let go of him."

She said quietly, "But he's been out for a while now."

Natsu shrugged, "And? It's not like he's been around a lot."

She sighed, "You're right."

Natsu grinned at her, "But my plan worked. You figured it out for yourself, and you confessed to me! What made that happen?"

Erza laughed, "You. That date we went on was perfect. I was just so wrapped up in the plan to make Jellal jealous I could barely see it."

Natsu pumped his fist again, "I knew it! I knew it was a good date!"

She half sighed and half laughed, "What am I going to do with you Natsu."

He immediately said, "Be my girlfriend of course!"

Erza blushed, "I don't kn…"

He interrupted, "We've already been out on a date. We both like each other. You should definitely be my girlfriend."

She smiled and then laughed, "You're right of course. Somehow when it comes to the important things, you're always right."

Natsu grinned, "Of course I am. I'm awesome."

He then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist like he'd done the night before and leaned in, slanting his mouth across hers in a soft kiss. This time Erza was less surprised and much more accepting of the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, demanding more with her lips than the soft kiss he'd started with. He gave it to her, lightly brushing his tongue across her lips in a way that made her shiver, and then thrusting his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers. He slowly brought down the intensity of the kiss and then stopped, stepping back and smiling at her, "I told you I'd kiss you again in a heartbeat if I wasn't going to get thrown across Magnolia."

Erza smiled back at him, "As long as they're all like that I won't have any reason to throw you across Magnolia."

He grinned at her, "Good. We should probably head back to the guild though; we have been gone for a while. Plus I have to rub it into Happy's face that my plan worked. He owes me 13 fish."

She laughed as they walked out of her rooms, "You made a bet with Happy. For fish?"

Natsu nodded, "Of course. What else would we bet with?"

Erza stopped for a moment and Natsu kept walking, but then stopped and looked back at her quizzically, "What?"

She asked, "You made a bet, that you could win my love, for fish…?"

He grinned, "Of course, what else would I bet Happy with?"

A dark aura began emanating from Erza which caused a drop of sweat to bead on the back of Natsu's neck and the woman roared, "You can't bet on my love with fish!"

With that exclamation Erza requipped a large sword into her hands and Natsu could see the demonic look in her eyes as he took off, knowing that he was about to receive one of her patented beatings. As he ran through the town he could hear Erza behind him shouting, "Get back here! You won't escape Natsu!"

He ran as fast as he could to Fairy Tail, hoping that he could distract her in some way. However, as he got to the doors he felt her foot connect with his back and instead of opening the doors as normal, he flew through them and crashed into a pillar. The entire guild looked on as Erza marched through the open doors and picked him up by the scarf growling, "And what did we learn from all this?"

He squeaked out, "Don't make bets involving Erza with Happy."

Erza nodded her head and said, "Good."

She then set him down and declared, "Come! Let us share some strawberry cake and I shall teach you the wonders of it."

She dragged him to the bar, ignoring the whispers that broke out throughout the entire guild.

"Erza… is sharing her cake?"

"She must really like him, she doesn't share cake with anybody."

Erza threw Natsu onto a barstool and sat down next to him and called to Mira, "Two pieces of strawberry cake Mira!"

She then glanced around to see the entire guild looking at them, "Do you have a problem?"

There were many hurried no's and she turned back to the bar, nodding her head in satisfaction. Mirajane came by with two slices of cake and set them down in front of Natsu and Erza, "So, I guess things went well Erza?"

She didn't get an answer as Erza had already dug into her cake and was extolling its virtues. She instead glanced over at Natsu who grinned, "Well, things went well for me that's for sure. Erza is my girlfriend now."

Mirajane squealed and said loudly to the entire guild, "It's official! Erza and Natsu are together!"

There was silence in the guild as their eyes bulged in surprise until Makarov said, "My little brats are growing up. I want some more grandchildren damnit!"

This seemed to break a dam and soon Erza and Natsu were surrounded by people congratulating them. Natsu was taking it all in stride, grinning madly. Erza however was surrounded by the Fairy Tail girls demanding to know all of the details and was blushing madly. A party broke out, all of the Fairy Tail mages drinking and brawling.

After what seemed like hours Erza decided that she'd had enough and grabbed Natsu from where he was fighting with Gray. She yelled out to the guild, "It was fun but I think it's time Natsu and I left."

Cana yelled back at her from her place on top of a barrel of ale, "And we all know where you're going don't we, to bed!"

The guild began laughing and Erza blushed as she dragged Natsu from the guild and into the night. When they'd gone about a block through the streets of Magnolia she slowed down and let Natsu walk normally beside her. He asked, "What's so funny about going to bed?"

Erza blushed deeper and said, "What they were talking about isn't just going to sleep, it's something people do when they're involved romantically."

Natsu grinned, "Hmm, well we can't do it at my house, I only have a hammock. That just leave's your place. So let's go!"

Erza planted a gauntleted fist in his face and said, "Natsu! That's much too forward! We shall not be sleeping together for a very long time!"

He rubbed his face and said, "Jeez, I sleep with Lucy all the time, and she definitely does not like me that way."

Erza groaned, "It's a figure of speech Natsu."

He laughed, "Well, I'm not good with those so you'll just have to explain it to me."

She blushed and said, "Well… ummm… It's when…"

She was saved the embarrassment of having to give Natsu the talk by Jellal, who had come up to them as they walked down the street.

Erza was surprised and said, "Jellal, what are you doing?"

He said smoothly, "I'm here to take you out on a date."

A low, almost inaudible growl emanated from Natsu's throat but it was ignored as Erza said, "What? Why?"

Jellal replied, "I knew that your date with Natsu was a farce designed to make me jealous, and it worked. I'm going to take you on a real date."

Erza sighed and said, "Jellal, I don…"

She was interrupted by Natsu who stepped forward and growled, "I gave you your chance Jellal, and you waited too long. Erza is mine now, back off."

Jellal laughed, "Your acting is very good Natsu, but you can stop now."

Natsu laughed as well, "Trust me Jellal, I'm not acting. Erza is mine now."

Seemingly discounting that statement Erza slammed a fist into Natsu's head and said, "I'm not yours Natsu, we're dating, there's a difference!"

He rubbed his head and ignored the shocked look on the blue haired man's face, "Well, I'm a dragon slayer Erza, I get pretty possessive."

The red headed woman also ignored Jellal and said, "That's fine Natsu, just don't refer to me like I'm an object."

He shrugged, "I don't see you as an object Erza, you're someone important to me, and you are mine."

Erza sighed, "It doesn…"

She was interrupted by Jellal shouting, "What? That date wasn't real though! How can you be dating?"

Erza sighed again, "Natsu is right. Jellal, you missed your chance. I waited for you for so long, and you never came. You're never here for me, and yesterday was the last straw. You're right, that date with Natsu was fake and meant to make you jealous, but you didn't do anything! You let me have the perfect romantic date with Natsu and did nothing about it."

Jellal grated out, "Well, I'm doing something now. Come on a date with me."

Natsu said, "No. If you want her, you're going to have to go through me first."

Erza shouted, "Natsu not everything can be solved with a fight!"

The dragon slayer laughed, "Of course it can. Jellal thinks that he's going to take you away from me, and I'm not going to let that happen."

Erza looked ready to shout angrily again but Jellal quickly spoke, "Fine. Tomorrow at noon, outside the city in the forest."

Natsu nodded and before Erza could object to anything Jellal turned and hurried away. Erza turned to Natsu and hissed, "Why? You can't just think that fighting him is going to solve anything. If he wins that doesn't mean that he will win my heart again."

Natsu looked at her steadily, "Wasn't that the whole point of the plan yesterday? Jellal was going to come fight me and prove that he deserves your heart. This is the same, except this time I have more to fight for than just for fun. I'm going to fight for you, because I have you now, and I'm not letting you go."

Erza sighed and then chuckled, "Natsu, what am I going to do with you?"

He grinned and pulled her in for a tight hug, "Just keep doing what you're doing."

She laughed and then broke away from the hug, "Alright Natsu, I'm going to go home and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned and left Natsu standing in the middle of the street and quickly went back to Fairy Hills.

Nobody was back yet, the party at Fairy Tail still going strong. She went to her room and decided to take a shower before bed. She went into the bathroom and turned on the water, instinctively knowing from many use just how hot she wanted it to be. She requipped her armor and clothes away and then stepped into the shower, luxuriating in the water that streamed down over her.

She quickly washed herself and then stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself and wrapping another around her hair. Erza walked out into her room and sat down in a chair to give her hair a bit of time to dry. She glanced over at her bookcase and her eyes caught on her rather large collection of erotic books. She thought back to Natsu's cluelessness and blushed, thinking, 'Maybe I should get him to read one of those books…'

She sat and lost herself in pleasant daydreams for a while and then shook her head, looking around almost unconsciously just to make sure no one was there watching her. Laugher emanated from her as she realized how ridiculous she was being and then stood up, going back to the bathroom, and hanging both of her towels up. She requipped into an old set of blue pajamas and went back out into her room, turning out the lights. Erza slid into bed and pulled the covers up around her until she found just the perfect spot to sleep in.

Tonight she had trouble sleeping though, her mind running over and over the events of the day. She had probably been in bed for thirty minutes when she started at a noise. Her window had softly slid open and a dark figure had quietly slipped into her room. The figure turned around and softly closed the window before coming and standing over her bed. She slowly slid her hand out from under the covers and then suddenly requipped a sword into it, swiftly placing it at the throat of the intruder and growling, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

A small flame popped into existence and the light showed Natsu's grinning face. He pushed the sword away from him and said quietly, "Since we're dating now it wouldn't be right for me to break into Lucy's house and sleep with her, so I'm coming to sleep with you instead."

He put the flame out and before she could object slid into the bed next to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and said sleepily, "Goodnight Erza."

The burning heat emanating from his body made her drowsy and so she decided that, just this once, she'd let him stay with her. She snuggled closer to him and very quickly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Erza woke up slowly the next morning. Her first groggy thoughts were, 'Why am I so hot? Did I get out my extra blankets?'

A few minutes later after waking up a bit more she realized that the heat was localized to her back, and that someone had their arm wrapped tightly around her waist. When that information was processed by her brain the only thing she could do was freak out and accidentally flop out of the bed in a tangle of blankets with a loud, "Kyaa!"

When she was finally able to untangle herself from the blankets she looked up at the bed to see Natsu sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning. He looked down at her at a smile and said, "What are you doing down there? You have a really comfy bed."

She glared up at him and barked, "What the hell are you doing in my bed Natsu?"

He rubbed his head in thought before finally replying, "Well, since we're dating now, I didn't think you would like it if I went to Lucy's house and slept in her bed. I decided to come here instead."

Erza stood up and sighed, "Why didn't you sleep at your own house Natsu?"

The pink haired boy grinned sheepishly, "Well, when I got home last night, Happy and I got bored so we decided to play tag. Somewhere along the way I accidentally ended up burning my hammock."

Erza gaped at him before she burst out laughing and all of her anger at him seemed to dissipate, "Only you could do something like that Natsu. By the way, where is Happy?"

Natsu groaned, "The furry little traitor went to Lucy's house because he's scared of you. Plus he thinks Lucys weirdness is rubbing off on me."

The redhead smiled, "Well why don't I cheer you up. What would you say to some breakfast?"

Natsu grinned and jumped out of the bed saying, "I would say I'm all fired up!"

Erza let out an uncharacteristic giggle and golden light surrounded her. A moment later she appeared in her boots, blue skirt, and Heart-Kreuz breastplate. She was about to ask what he wanted but suddenly noticed that sometime during the night he had lost his vest, leaving his chest bare. He stretched his arms upward nonchalantly with another yawn giving Erza a great view of his chest and abs, and sending her flashing back to her pleasant daydreams from the night before. The girl bit her lip and ripped her eyes away from Natsu to glance at her bookcase of erotic novels. A moment later she blinked and shook her head, 'How can I even think of such things? We've only been dating for a day, and I doubt he even knows what sex is!'

Erza looked back to see that Natsu was now fully dressed and said, "So, what do you want for breakfast?"

She was surprised when he frowned and sat back down on her bed before saying, "I don't know. There are so many good choices, it's hard to decide."

Erza laughed and then suggested, "Well, if you're unsure, why don't we go down to the guild and maybe Mirajane will cook you something."

This idea brought a smile back to the Dragon Slayers face as he said, "Alright! Let's go, maybe Mira will make me her spicy pancakes!"

He dashed excitedly past Erza and out her door before the redhead could move but came back a moment later grabbing her hand and pulling her along after him saying, "Come on slowpoke!"

She let herself be pulled through Fairy Hills and when she glanced back over her shoulder she saw many shocked and sleepy faces sticking out of their bedrooms staring after her and Natsu. She could imagine what each one of them thought.

Juvia would think, 'Erza is so brave to have Natsu in the dorm with her! I must go find my Gray and have him.'

Levy would think, 'Hmm… I need to go get my dragon slayer, and maybe borrow some of Erza's new books…'

Evergreen would think, 'Tch. Erza's always so strict but look how the Titania has fallen! I must bring Elfman over here, secretly of course.'

Finally, Cana would think, 'Whooo, you go girl. I'll need to find out how Natsu was in bed. But first, where was that wine I stashed away last night?'

Erza chuckled to herself as she imagined her dorm mates thought processes but their faces were gone in a flash. Natsu had pulled Erza out the door and halfway to the guild by the time Erza could get him to slow down. He grumbled, "But the food is at the guild."

She shook a finger at him and said in a stern tone that belied the smile on her face, "The guild isn't going anywhere Natsu. Why don't we slow down and enjoy the nice morning?"

It was indeed a very nice morning. A layer of dew covered the grass and birds flew about singing their morning songs. Natsu shrugged, "Any morning with you is nice, but there are only so many times in my life that Mira will make me spicy pancakes so let's go!"

He resumed dragging Erza towards the guild, not noticing the blush and look of shock on her face, 'Is he trying to be romantic or is he just too dense to understand what he's doing?'

They quickly reached the guild at the pace Natsu was going and he kicked open the doors yelling, "We're here!"

There was no loud greeting back because the guild hall was empty save for one person. The only response they got was Mirajane waving at them with a smile from behind the bar. Erza let the pink haired dragon slayer drag her to the bar and took a seat next to him as he said brightly to Mirajane, "Mira! Will you make me some spicy pancakes?"

The white haired woman smiled at him and said, "I don't know… Those are for special occasions. What's special about today?"

Natsu grinned, "I slept with Erza last night. That's pretty special."

Both women blushed simultaneously but before Mirajane could say anything Erza had planted a fist in Natsu's face and sent him flying into a wall. As he lay groaning in pain, Erza turned to the still blushing Mirajane and said, "We slept in the same bed. That is all. Nothing else happened!"

Mirajane teased, "Are you sure?"

Erza growled at her as Natsu crawled back up into his seat, "Yes, you demon!"

By this time Natsu was back in his seat but had slumped forward to lay his head on the bar, "Why does everyone make a deal about us sleeping together. I've slept with Lucy a whole lot of times."

The read head sighed, "I told you last night Natsu, it's a figure of speech."

The dragons layer lifted his head up and frowned, "And I told you I wasn't good at those, but Jellal interrupted before you could explain, so explain now!"

Erza began turning red again but Mirajane just laughed. The white haired woman giggled out, "Natsu, do you remember when I explained where babies come from when we were younger?"

Natsu nodded apprehensively but muttered under his breath, "I might remember better if you hadn't given me a concussion when you taught me."

Mriajane ignored his comment and continued, "When you say that you slept with Erza, everyone translates that as you had sex with her."

At this, Natsu burst out laughing. Both women watched him quizzically until he had finished and then he said, "Does everybody think I'm an idiot?"

Mirajane giggled but Erza deadpanned, "Yes."

Natsu glowered at her but continued, "Me and Erza have been dating for a day. If I tried anything of that osrt I'd spend the next month in the infirmary."

Erza's face turned as red as her hair and Mira teased, "Are you sure? Just look at her face, she might like it."

The knight started to stutter objections but Natsu grinned, "Of course she would. I'm great at everything."

Both girls jaws dropped as he continued, "I know I'm not the smartest guy in the guild, but I do have the best ears. Anytime you girls talked about that in the guild I could hear it. I've picked up a few things so I'm sure Erza would enjoy herself very much."

The girls gaped at him before Erza flopped over the bar, seemingly unconscious, and Mirajane broke out into gales of laughter. It was Natsu's turn to look confused until Mirajane got herself under control and said, "I can't believe you said that so casually Poor Erza's passed out."

Natsu stuck his face right in front of Erza's and looked at her glassy, unseeing eyes, "Nah, that's just her daydreaming face."

Mirajane giggled again and said, "I wonder what she's daydreaming about."

Natsu shrugged, "Probably strawberry cake. That's the only thing she daydreams that intensely about. So Mira, how about those spicy pancakes?"

Mirajane shook her head at Natsu missing the blatantly obvious but said, "Sure Natsu, one big stack of spicy pancakes just for you."

The white haired woman turned and went into the back to cook, chuckling at the flip-flopping of Natsu, 'From idiot, to extremely confident, and then back to idiot. Erza certainly has her hands full.'

Natsu was left with an unmoving Erza, but luckily Lucy walked in a few moments later and came to the bar, sitting next to Natsu. She looked at the state Erza was in and said, "Umm… what exactly did you do to Erza?"

The dragon slayer shrugged again, "I didn't do anything. I just think she hasn't had strawberry cake in so long that she's started daydreaming about it. How come you're at the guild so early Lucy? Usually you're not here until later."

Lucy glared at him, "Your cat woke me up early begging for fish. I sent him to Lisanna. Why was he at my apartment without you anyways?"

Natsu said embarrassedly, "I accidentally burned my hammock yesterday, so I went to Erza's to sleep with her. Happy was to scared f Erza to come with me so he went to your apartment."

Lucy still looked confused, "Not that I'm complaining, but you generally sneak into my bed when you do something like that."

The pinke haired man looked down at Erza, still sprawled out on the bar but now with a slight bit of drool coming out of her mouth, and said with a smile, "Since I'm dating Erza now, I don't think it would be quite right to sneak into your bed, so now I'm going to sneak into hers."

Lucy smiled at his statement but said, "Are you sure that will work? Erza's very stern, she'll probably kick you out if you try."

Natsu smiled smugly, "She didn't kick me out last night I just did what I did with you, climb in and snuggle. Works like a charm."

The blonde glared at Natsu before finally smiling and laughing, "I didn't think you were that sly Natsu."

The dragon slayer said defensively, "Hey, I come up with great plans all the time."

Lucy remarked dryly, "They generally involve anything in the immediate area getting blown up and our reward getting cut in half."

Natsu grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, I just get caught up in the moment sometimes, or that bastard Grey makes me mad. But my plan for today doesn't involve blowing things up. Well, it does, but at least out reward won't get cut in half."

An alarmed look came over the Celestial mages face and she said warningly, "Natsu…"

The pink haired boy laughed, "Don't worry Lucy, I'm just having a fight with Jellal in the woods at noon today."

Lucy's shriek of "What?!" was compounded by Mirajane's and Meredys similar shrieks. The sheer volume and pitch nearly caused Natsu to fall off of his barstool. It wouldn't have mattered if he had though, because a moment later he was hauled out of his seat by Meredy and he came face to face with the thunderously angry expression of the pink haired girl. Natsu smiled weakly and his mumbled greeting was drowned out by Meredy's shouted, "Why the hell are you fighting Jellal today?"

An annoyed expression came over Natsu's face. He roughly removed Meredys hands from the front of his vest and said, "Jellal wants to fight me so that he can win Erza's heart. If he'd tried that two days ago it might have worked, but now Erza's heart is mine and I plan on keeping it."

The anger on Meredy's face quickly vanished and turned into an angelic smile, "Oh. I thought it was for a stupid reason."

Natsu grumbled, "When did you get here anyways?"

Meredy laughed, "Just now. Jellal was brooding and no fun to hang out with, now I guess I know why."

Before Natsu could continue the conversation Lucy said heatedly from behind him, "Why on earthland do you think it's a good plan to fight Jellal for Erza's heart."

Natsu turned to her and shrugged, "Because I want to. Besides, Jellal wants to as well. He's done enough to make Erza cry, so I'm going to make it so that he won't make her cry ever again."

Mirajane set a plate with a tall stack of pancakes on it down at Natsu's spot at the bar, "Wow Natsu, I didn't know you cared that much."

Natsu glanced at Erza, still laying over the bar, and grinned, "Of course I do. Erza should be strong and scary and eating mountains of strawberry cake."

At the mention of strawberry cake Erza's ears twitched and she moaned, "Natsuuu… Get me more cake…"

All four of them laughed and Natsu went on, "She should be yelling at all the old guys in our guild for being perverts and chasing me and Gray around Magnolia when we fight and have a weird obsession with Lucy's underwear."

Lucy blushed and Mirajane's eyebrows rose as she gave the blonde girl a questioning look but Natsu continued, "She shouldn't cry after every one of Jellal's visits because he's a self-obsessed coward. And she certainly should not spend her life waiting on him. I'm going to make sure that never happens again."

All three of the conscious women smiled at him and the guild hall was silent after his passionate outburst. The moment ended though, when the doors opened and Cana, Macao, and Wakaba strode in, calling for alcohol. Mirajane left to attend to them and Lucy and Meredy went to their own table to talk, glancing at Natsu from time to time. Natsu didn't notice them as he sat back down at the bar next to Erza and dug into his large stack of spicy pancakes. He was halfway through it when the red head next to him sat up and smiled at him. He looked over at her and asked, "Marmph Mimph zat mook phor?"

Erza shook her head with the same smile and said, "Don't speak with your mouth full Natsu."

The dragon slayer quickly swallowed and repeated, "What's that look for?" before shoveling another bite of food into his mouth.

The guild was starting to fill up but Natsu could make out Erza's soft words, "I heard everything you said."

Natsu choked on his pancakes but a few slaps on his back from Erza cleared it up, "I thought you were still passed out because you didn't have strawberry cake."

Erza chuckled, "That's not why I passed out."

"Then why did you pass out?"

The red head blushed and said quickly, "Something you said caught me by surprise. But that isn't important. I woke up when the girls creams and heard everything after that."

A tinge of fear entered Natsu's eyes as he said, "You're not still mad that I'm going to fight Jellal are you?"

Erza smiled, "No, trying to stop you from fighting would be like banging my head against a wall repeatedly I heard what you said before Cana's group came in, and it made me very happy."

Natsu shrugged, "I didn't say anything special. I mean, everything I said was true, and it's stuff I've said before. I don't get why it would make you any happier now."

When Natsu said this, a few things snapped into place for Erza. She realized that she really could fall in love with the pink haired idiot next to her. His outlook on life was so bright and optimistic that it had changed her once gloomy self. He didn't see her as a prize to be won, or a woman to conquer, or even a woman who was too scary to every find love. Natsu saw her for who she was: a strict, awkward, headstrong, stubborn girl who just might… sometimes… maybe… need a shoulder to lean on. When she did need that shoulder though, he was always there to cheer her up, and nobody had ever done a better job than the fire dragons laeyr who'd melted the iron barriers around her heart and replaced them with the light of his every present grin.

"Erza! Are you alright?"

She was startled out of her reverie by Natsu shaking her, "Are you going into another strawberry cake coma?"

He let her go and quickly dashed off to find Mirajane yelling, "Quick Mira, bring some strawberry cake for Erza or she's gonna pass out again!"

The red head blinked and stared at Natsu before she burst out laughing at his antics. In short order there was a plate of strawberry cake in front of her and Natsu was back next to her saying, "Alright. I got you some."

She smiled at him and said gravely, "Thank you. I'll make sure not to pass out from strawberry cake depravation again."

He grinned and went back to his pancakes, "Good. Just think about what would happen if you did that on a job."

She snorted and then dug into her cake. It tasted just as good as she remembered and she savored it. Life went on as the guild filled up and was soon it's normal rambunctious self. As soon as Gray walked in Natsu decided to start a fight with him and so Erza had to leave off eating to discipline the pair. After she did she went back to her cake and after Natsu was done groaning in pain on the ground he was back up like normal, running around with Happy and enjoying himself. Erza smiled as she watched Natsu from her perch at the bar. She didn't notice Mirajane come up to her behind the bar until she said, "So, you heard everything he said?"

Erza jumped and then turned around to regard the white haired woman, "I did. It would be hard for even Natsu to sleep through your shrieking, not to mention Lucy and Meredys."

Mirajane chuckled and said, "So, what do you really think about Natsu fighting Jellal."

The red head glanced around at Natsu who was currently chasing Lucy around the guild hall before saying, "I don't know. It won't change anything. Even if Jellal wins I won't go running into his arms. I just don't think it has a point."

The barmaid chuckled again, "Natsu fights for the fun of it. Although this fight with Jellal sounds like it's a bit more serious. I think he knows that it won't change anything for you, but for him he's proving to himself that he's better for you than Jellal is. He just wants to make you happy, so I think this is just as much for him as for you."

Erza smiled and glanced back at Natsu again before saying, "Are you sure he can think that deeply? I mean. It is Natsu."

This time Mirajane let out a real, full laugh, "Well. Generally I wouldn't think so but for the people he cares about, he just might make the effort."

The red head laughed with her, "You're right. When he confessed to me I was actually shocked when he gave me well thought out reasons for his actions. He just keeps on surprising me."

"Good. It will keep the relationship fresh. Also, you know, actually sleeping with him would do that too."

Erza blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day before hissing under her breath, "Mira! Stop that right now!"

Mirajane gave her a devilish smile, "Oh no. It's much to fun to tease my rival, and this one is going to last me for a long time."

She strode off when Cana called for another beer and Erza shook her head as her face slowly went back to normal. She then looked around for Natsu but couldn't find him. When she looked around more closely she couldn't find Meredy, Happy, or Lucy either. She yelled down to Mirajane, "What time is it?"

The barmaid glanced at her watch before yelling back, "It's almost noon. Why?"

Erza didn't waste any time answering, instead she ran out of the guildhall as fast as she could, not even stopping to break up a fight between Gajeel and Elfman. She dashed out into the street and looked around, hoping to see a flash of pink hair somewhere on the street. She was disappointed but undeterred. Erza ran off in the direction of the forest just outside of Magnolia, knowing that was where Natsu was headed. She arrived at the forest in only ten minutes but there was no sign of Natsu or anyone in his group. She cursed, wishing she had Natsu's enhanced senses when the sounds of explosions reached her ears. She turned to see a huge pillar of fire rising up into the sky about a mile away. A moment later a golden pillar of light shot up to join it. Without a second thought Erza ran towards the twin pillars, hoping that she'd get there before the real fighting started.


End file.
